ArtPrize 2025 - Sailing into the Storm

It is a great honor to return to ArtPrize 2025. One year after winning the Public Vote Grand Prize, so much has changed. All thanks to you, the public, my supporters, family, and friends. I am forever grateful for this gift of an opportunity. With the winnings, I was able to move my studio out of the unfinished basement corner and into a dedicated studio equipped with the space and tools to help me take my art to the next level!

This year, I return not as a competitor but to exhibit my latest piece, Sailing into the Storm. Local history enthusiasts may recognize the lumber schooner Ella Ellenwood which operated out of White Lake until 1901 when she ran aground near Milwaukee. I wanted to memorialize this local icon in oil and acrylic on brass. The canvas is made of 100+ lbs of welded steel frame and brass. I began by grinding the shape of each wave into the metal. Then comes the paint and more buffing to add highlights. The waves on the brass canvas give the scene an animating effect. Move from side to side and you can feel the image move with you!!

Though you can’t vote for my piece, I hope my art and story inspire you. I’ve survived wars but sometimes the hardest battles are between you and the canvas. Don’t give up. Have the courage to create and keep creating. 

Sailing into the Storm is 60" x 96" and currently available for purchase for $25,000.